Online chat using De Bono's Hats

This chat session was highly structured around the use of De Bono's Hats. The teacher:

• sent learners information about the chat
  • time for the chat
  • instructions (PDF 17KB) on how to use the WebCT chat tool
  • protocols (PDF 20KB) for participating in chat sessions
• developed a problem-based scenario which learners would have to respond to in the chat
• prepared and sent out a sheet outlining De Bono's Hats (PDF 73KB) and how these would be used within the chat
• prepared some prompts which could be copied and pasted within the chat sessions so that she was not hampered by her poor typing
• had a few reference websites open at the time of the chat so that the URLs could be sent to learners for further consideration of issues raised in the chat.
• reminded the learners of the chat by email 30 minutes prior to the commencement
• arranged for some of her colleagues to participate in the chat as experts and stakeholders. They entered the chat with fictitious roles
• guided the chat using the De Bono hats
• posted the transcript (PDF 29KB) of the chat onto the WebCT site for learners to access and review at a later date.